As a chapter we have definitely grown since we were chartered in 2014. We are branching out beyond just our Monroe roots. This year we held chapter meetings in Ruston and Shreveport. We also had board representation at Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) in San Diego, CA and Region 6 Conference in San Antonio, TX. For the first time, we will have a PMP training in north Louisiana that isn't associated with a particular company or university. We also held a mock Toastmasters meeting during one of our chapter meetings since communication is very critical to project managers. If you have never attended a chapter meeting, we invite you to join us. If you have let you chapter membership lapse we would like you to consider joining once again.

PMI is still the fastest growing project management non-profit organization in the world. As a member you should be proud of the fact that your organization has supported educational pursuits on the college and high school level. PMI now offers an accreditation for universities that ensure that PMI accredited university programs meet PMI standards. PMI was also instrumental in getting the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act that signed by former President Obama in January 2017. This legislation ensures that the certified and experienced project/program manager is recognized for their expertise within the federal government. You can see the details of the legislation here: https://www.pmi.org/about/press-media/press-releases/senate-program-management-act.

Have you checked out the latest version of the Pulse of the Profession? If not, I would highly recommend it. It is critical to understand, not just what is happening at your specific company, but what is happening in industries around the world as it relates to project management. PMI produces this research every year based on a broad range of company and practitioner data. Is your company keeping up with the latest trends? Are you aware of the latest trends in project management? How does your salary compare? You can find all of that information here: http://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/pulse-practitioner-guide.pdf?la=en.

As you can see there is a lot going on in the project management world. We are excited for the future!

We have often been asked about PMI training in Northern Louisiana. However, the answer traditionally has been to bring someone in from another region or for the student to travel somewhere else for training.

Election season is upon us! Your PMI Northern Louisiana chapter is supported by a volunteer board and some of the board positions are up for renewal. Serving on the chapter board is a great way to help expand project management knowledge in our area and earn a lot of PDUs at the same time. If you are interested in serving in a board capacity, please email president@pminorthernla.org by August 31, 2017.

Open board positions: President, VP of Finance, VP of Membership, VP of Marketing